Amber Heard (Mandy Lane) Interview

Beautiful but shy Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) is an unattainable object of teen lust for all the guys at her high school. When Mandy agrees to go to a remote ranch with her classmates for the weekend, she think that their advances are the worst that she’ll have to endure but she couldn’t be more wrong. As her school-mates are killed off one-by-one, it becomes clear that a secret admirer is willing to go to any lengths to get the girl.


All the boys do love Mandy Lane; what do you think it is about the character that proves so irresistible?

Mandy Lane is the essence of the unobtainable. She is utterly desirable in the most classical sense. Women want to be her; men want to be with her. She is unreachable and beautiful but what really gets the boys in the film is that there’s something enigmatic and different about this character, something mysterious, innocent, pure… But also, what I think it really is, is that enigmatic quality you can’t put your finger on.

In the film, Mandy’s innocence is slowly ‘chipped away’ by her peers. Have you ever had an experience like that, perhaps when you were younger and moving into the film industry?

That’s how everyone is, I think. My own experience was just at a much faster pace, more dramatic, more serious… I moved out of home when I was young and I went into modelling; that didn’t really work for me but it is a fast-track world. I was coming from a Catholic school, too, so everything was a surprise! You kind of learn as you go. I’ve been in LA for four years now – and I feel really old! I can’t help but walk away and learn something new every time.

Jonathan Levine, the film’s director, describes high school as “a terrifying experience”. Was high school terrifying for you? Were you a ‘Mandy Lane’?

I did my own thing in high school. I stayed out of that world because I didn’t really see it as important as everyone else – not that high school isn’t important, but everything that comes with it. When Jonathan describes it as terrifying, I know what he means; I think everyone does. Even if you are the ‘Mandy’ – the most popular girl or boy in school – you still walk away injured in some way. It’s a tough experience, I think, especially in America, where we can see what’s happening through current events and how teenagers are dealing with that… But I dropped out of high school and I never thought that all the BS that went with it was important. It was never something that affected me. Thankfully, I walked away unscarred.

What was it about the script that attracted you to the movie?

It’s the most unique script. I was young, I’d just gotten to Hollywood… It was my first movie role, so I didn’t expect that it would be so good, so brilliant, so artistic and I could never have expected how well Jonathan would direct it, because he was a first time director. I couldn’t see anything beforehand, so I had to go on trust. But I had a strong instant connection with Jonathan in the first meeting when I read through the script – and opportunities to play a strong female character are few and far-between. They don’t write young female characters, especially beautiful ones, as interesting, intelligent people… But when I read it, I saw this amazing character and so much could be done with her through an amazing, intelligent script. So, I met with Jonathan and I had an instant connection with him, and that’s what it’s about – the collaboration of an actor and the Director and their vision. It can make or break a film. I knew instantly that I could trust him and my expectations were surpassed.

What were your thoughts the first time you saw the finished film?

As an actor I can never see it objectively, but I was impressed and pleasantly surprised. He didn’t let the genre or the studio’s editing affect his artistic vision. I always think it’s funny that they call it a ‘slasher’ film because it’s so much more than that. But call it what you may, it’s still a good movie. I think people will be surprised how much they like it even if they’re not fans of the horror genre.

Is it actually frightening, shooting scary scenes in a horror movie?

Not at all! People ask me a lot about the location, which was a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere. But you’re never alone on set, people are always watching you, following you around and keeping tabs on you – it’s the least scary thing you could possibly ever do. We were actually shooting in a graveyard on Halloween eve, in the middle of the night, and I remember thinking to myself, “I could not be scared even if a ghost came out of one of these graves”. It’s like when you shoot a sex scene: it’s the least sexy thing in the whole world. It takes it out of it!

What future projects have you got coming up?

I’ve got 5 films coming out this year that I have leading roles in, I’m very excited! There’s Mandy Lane, of course, Never Back Down, Remember the Days, Pineapple Express and also The Informers. There’s a drama there, a comedy, a horror, and anything in-between! As a young blonde woman in Hollywood it’s important not to get pigeon-holed into a ‘pretty girl’ stereotype. By hitting up all these genres and these different characters, I can retain individuality in myself and in my art. I’m very lucky.

Were you disappointed that Hidden Palms was so short-lived?

I put a lot of effort into filming, and you never really know how it’s going to turn out and how it’s going to be received… I don’t know. It’s sad but it’s fine; my heart is in film and it leaves me free to do that.

What movies have you recently enjoyed, or what movies are you looking forward to?

There are some really good ones out there. I loved There Will Be Blood, even though it’s a difficult movie, and Juno. I don’t really notice many strong female writers in Hollywood that aren’t making films just for men but I’m a big fan of Diablo Cody, as a writer and as a person – she’s a very strong, beautiful, intelligent woman who wrote a brilliant, strong, young female character.

Have any of your projects been affected by the Writers’ Strike?

I absolutely support my brothers and sisters at the WGA. I’m a SAG member myself. LA is going through a hard time… I think it’s ending now but it was sad to see the city suffer. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve not really been affected.

What are your favourite memories from shooting Mandy Lane?

My favourite, I guess, would have to be seeing it when it was done and how well it was done.


12th February 2008.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is released in UK cinemas on 15th February 2008.

mandylane.co.uk
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